Water ski towline pay-out and retrieval apparatus



Feb. 10, 1970 3,494,570

WATER SKI TOWLINE PAY-OUT AND RETRIEVAL APPARATUS J. P. JONES, JR

Filed Aug. 21; 1968 ORNEYS United States Patent 3,494,570 WATER SKI TOWLINE PAY-OUT AND RETRIEVAL APPARATUS John Paul Jones, Jr., 1241 Skyline Drive, Daly City, Calif. 94015 Filed Aug. 21, 1968, Ser. No. 754,366 Int. Cl. B65h 75/40, 17/46 US. Cl. 24286.5 17 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The apparatus includes a spool support on a transversely displaceable shaft. A towline is fastened at one end to the spool. Stop structure in the form of a compressible ball, rigid disc and resilient wafer is attached to the towline which extends through an abutment ring connectable to the boat. Engagement of the stop structure with the abutment ring terminates pay-out of the towline.

This invenion relates generally to pay-out and retrieval apparatus and, more particularly, to pay-out and retrieval apparatus for use with water skiing towline and the like.

As explained in my United States Patent No. 3,215,361 which issued Nov. 2, 1965, the sport of water skiing requires the use of a towline that in ordinary practice is attached at one end to a boat used to pull the towline and skier through the water, and at its other end the line is equipped with handles which are cast into the water along with the rope noose for pick up by the skier. The practice of casting the towline into the water often results in its becoming tangled, and thereby requires the skier to untangle the line before he can be pulled or towed thereby from the boat. Not only is it tiring and timeconsuming to untangle a towline, but it is also hazardous because throughout such procedure the skier is motionless in the water and being diflicult to observe is in danger of being stuck by other skiers and by other boats. These disadvantages, as well as others, are largely obviated by the pay-out and retrieval apparatus disclosed in such 1ssued patent, which apparatus comprises reel structure mounted upon a tow boat and from which the towline is paid-out when a skier requires use thereof and onto which it is wound for storage.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved pay-out and retrieval apparatus for water skilng towlines and the like, and which improved apparatus is completely portable and usable in substantially any boat without attachment thereto (except for the point of towforce connection between the boat and towline), which apparatus also lies substantially fiat on any seat or floor or other generally horizontal surface of the boat, and which apparatus has stop structure of particular construction along the towline engageable with a ring-"shaped abutment structure releasably attachable to an eye-bolt or similar device carried by the boat, such stop structure being effective to protect the towline from damage and also serving to absorb and hereby atenuate shock transmitted between the boat and skier such as shock resulting from the inertial forces defined by the moving boat and substantially stationary skier at the instant that the skier is accelerated into motion through the water.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention, especially as concerns particular features and characteristics thereof, will become apparent as the specification develops.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of pay-out and retrieval apparatus embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side view in elevation showing the apparatus during use thereof in association with a tow boat;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged transverse sectional view illustrating the stop structure used with the towline to limit pay-out thereof.

The pay-out and retrieval apparatus is shown in FIG- URE 1 in a condition in which the towline component is completely retrieved and is secured so as to resist inadvertent pay-out thereof. Accordingly, the apparatus as shown in this figure is in a condition for movement from place to place or from one boat to another; and as will become apparent hereinafter, the apparatus is completely portable because when used it does not require attachment to a tow boat except for the releasable attachment of the towline thereto. Generally, the apparatus comprises reel structure 10, a towline 11, an abutment structure 12 adapted to be releasably secured to a tow boat to establish the location of tow force application thereto, and stop structure 13 cooperative with such abutment structure 12 to limit pay-out of the towline 11 from the reel structure 10 cooperative with such abutment structure 12 to limit pay-out of the towline 11 from the reel structure 10.

The reel structure 10 comprises a spool 14 having a central hub 15 providing a transversely oriented opening 16 therethrough, as shown best in FIGURE 3. The central hub 15 is provided by a pair of radially spaced, concentrically oriented cylinders 17 and 18, the first of which is the inner cylinder defining the opening 16 therethrough and the other of which is the outer cylinder rigidly related to the inner cylinder by a radially disposed web 19 located at the center of the cylinders and a plurality of angularly spaced webs 20 radiating outwardly from the inner cylinder 17 to the outer cylinder 18 much in the manner of spokes.

Extending outwardly from the central hub 15 are a pair of transversely spaced flanges 21 and 22 rigidly related to the outer cylinder 18. The flanges 21 and 22, together with the outer cylinder 18 to which they are attached, define an annular channel or recess 23 within which the towline 11 is wound upon retrieval thereof. As shown in FIGURE 3, the spool 14 may be an integral component and can be molded from any suitable material as, for example, a thermoplastic resin such as high strength polyethylene or polystyrene.

The reel structure 10 further includes a handle 24 secured to the spool 14, and in the particular form shown, the handle is bolted or otherwise secured to the flange 22 and projects therefrom in a transverse direction. The handle 24 may be of standard form and comprises a knurled hand grip 25 rotatably supported upon an axle or post bolted to the flange 22 as shown at 26. The reel structure also comprises a shaft 27 extending through the opening 16 in the hub 15, and the shaft is slidable transversely through such opening and is also rotatable with respect thereto wherefore the shaft defines an axle upon which the spool is rotatably supported.

The shaft 27 is constituted of a substantially rigid tube 28 which is advantageously formed of a light weight metal such as aluminum, and bonded to the tube along the outer surface thereof is a coating 29 which may be formed of polyethylene or polystyrene and, for best results, defines with the cylinder 17 of the hub 16 a relatively low inhibition to relative rotation therebetween (i.e., a relatively low coefficient of friction). The shaft 27 is substantially longer than the cylinder 17 and opening 16 therethrough, and it is equipped adjacent its end with limit devices respectively engageable with the ends of the cylinder 17 so as to prevent inadvertent removal of the shaft therefrom. In the form shown, such limit devices constitute closure caps 30 and 31 telescopically receiving the associated end portions of the shaft 27 therein, and such closure caps may be formed of the same material used for the layer 29 and can be bonded thereto in any suitable manner as by application of heat to the contiguous surfaces thereof to unit the same.

The twoline 11 may constitute any conventional line customarily used for water and, in this respect, it may be floatable line formed, for example, from polypropylene. The line 11 at one end thereof is fastened to the reel structure and, in particular, to the hub 15 thereof as by extending the line through an opening in the cylinder 18 and by knotting the line along the underside of such cylinder, as shown at 32. At its other end, the towline 11 is equipped with handle means 33 which may be com pletely conventional and in the usual instance will comprise either a single handle or a double handle, as shown, formed a stiff material having a resilient covering thereabout. Usually the handle means 33 will be flotable, and since such structures are well-known and can be wholly standard, no further description is included.

As shown in FIGURE 1, the towline 11 extends through the abutment structure 12 which is a quick release device such as a carabiner that may be removably secured to the spool 14 as by extending it through an aperture 34 in the flange 22 of the spool. The abutment i structure 12 is adapted to be releasably secured to a suitable fastener such as an eye-bolt 35 provided by a boat 36 either by being directly attached thereto or by being a part of an in-board engine mounting. In either event, eye-bolts constitute a standard component on a boat with out-board, in-board, or stern-drive engine therefor, and these conventional devices are utilized with the pay-out and retrieval apparatus as the means for operatively securing the same to the tow boat at the point of tow force application thereto.

As shown most clearly in FIGURE 4, the stop struc ture 13 comprises a compresible component 38 in the form of a hollow resilient sphere having an opening passing the towline 11 therethrough. The sphere or ball 38 may be formed of rubber and ordinarily grips the towline 11 with sufiicient frictional force so as to generally maintain itself at any location of adjustment thereof along the line. Intermediate the sphere 38 and point of attachment of the line 11 into the spool structure 10 is a relatively stiff, flat disk 39 which passes the towline 11 therethrough and is adapted to bear on one side against the sphere 38. Along its opposite side, a resilient wafer 40 is circumjacent the towline 11 and is adapted to abut a knot 41 located therealong. It will be appreciated that the knot 41, Wafer 40, disk 39 and sphere 38 define the aforementioned stop structure 13 which in cooperation with the abutment structure 12, as shown in FIGURE 2, limits pay-out of the line 11 from the reel structure 10.

In use of the pay-out and retrieval apparatus, it may be placed in any boat 36 since it is completely portable and is readily carried when the line 11 is wound upon the spool 14, as shown in FIGURE 1. A convenient way of transporting the apparatus is to carry it by the shaft 27 which is transversely displaceable through the opening 16 in the hub 15 and is of sufficient length to project therefrom and be conveniently gripped. The abutment structure 12 tends to prevent the line 11 from unwinding from the spool 14 since it is releasably fastened thereto and the line extends through the abutment structure. When it is desired to use the apparatus in a boat 36, as shown in FIGURE 2, the abutment structure 12 is released from the flange 22 and is connected with an appropriate eye-bolt 35 as shown. The line 11 is then paid out by casting the handles 33 into the water where they can be gripped by a skier.

The line 11 requires the application of very little force thereto to cause it to be paid out from the reel structure 10, and usually during this procedure the reel structure will be held along the shaft 27 by an occupant of the boat, whereupon the spool 14 is freely rotatable and the line withdrawn therefrom at any required rate. As soon as the stop structure 13 engages the abutment structure 12 pay-out of the line 11 terminates, and as the boat 36 is accelerated to commence pulling the water skier the ball member 38 deforms or compresses, as shown in 'FIGURE 2, as does the resilient wafer 40. Compression of these elements tends to reduce the shock otherwise defined between the boat 36 and a skier at the instant that the boat is accelerated to initiate movement of the skier. At the end of a water skiing run, the skier drops the towline and it is readily retrieved from within the boat by gripping the shaft 27 in one hand and rotating the spool 10 with the other hand by means of the handle 24. Retrieval can be effected quickly so as to minimize danger to the skier and without the towline becoming tangled.

The apparatus is intended for either right-hand or lefthand operation; and to pay-out or retrieve the towline with right-hand operation, the shaft 27 is extended outwardly from the hub 15 on the side thereof opposite the handle 24 and is gripped by the left hand so that the right hand is free for manipulation of the handle. For left-hand operation, the shaft is simply gripped in the right hand and the handle 24 manipulated with the left hand. The apparatus is simple and fool-proof, and the operation thereof is fast either when paying out the towline or when retrieving the same. Upon retrieval, the line is stored compactly and the apparatus can be located wherever convenient since it occupies little space and can lie flat especially along the flange 21 thereof. As the towline is retrieved, it passes through the abutment struc-v ture or carabiner 12 which functions to strip water from from the towline during this operation. As explained hereinbefore, the abutment structure also serves to limit pay-out of the towline, and it also tends to prevent unwinding thereof when the towline is completely retrieved and the apparatus arranged as shown in FIGURE 1.

The shock-absorbing characteristic of the stop structure 13 not only minimizes shock otherwise transmitted to the skier as heretofore explained, but it also protects the towline and lengthens the life thereof by reducing shockforce application thereto and, similarly, diminishes the deleterious effects of shock otherwise transmitted to the tow boat. The entire apparatus is light-weight which contributes to the portability thereof, as does the absence of any requirement for permanent or semi-permanent attachment of the apparatus to the boat. Since the towline is essentially controlled at all times, it remains relatively free of tangles which not only contributes to general safety but also enables a plurality of towlines to be attached to a single boat with little danger of such lines becoming entangled.

While in the foregoing specification an embodiment of the invention has been set forth in considerable detail for purposes of making a complete disclosure thereof, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous changes may be made in such details without departing from the spirit and principles of the invention.

I claim:

1. Pay-out and retrieval apparatus for water skiing tow lines and the like comprising: reel structure including a spool having a central hub provided with a transversely oriented shaft-receiving opening therethrough and having also a pair of transversely spaced flanges connected with said hub and being radially disposed with respect thereto, a shaft of substantially greater length than said hub and being slidably receivable Within said opening for transverse displacements with respect thereto and providing a support for said spool for rotation thereof about the axis of said shaft, and a handle secured to said reel structure for effecting such rotation thereof; a towline fastened adjacent one end thereof to said reel structure and equipped adjacent its other end with handle means; a releasable abutment structure through which said towline extends and being releasably connectable with an eye-bolt or the like provided by a tow boat to define the location of tow force application thereto; and stop structure carried by said towline intermediate said reel and abutment structures and being engageable with the latter to limit pay-out of towline from said reel structure and establish with said abutment structure the force connection of said pay-out and retrieval apparatus with such boat.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said hub and the flanges of said spool are rigidly interconnected, and in which said shaft rotatably supports said hub thereon.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which said hub comprises a pair of radially spaced concentric cylinders and a plurality of intervening webs rigidly interrelating the same.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 and further comprising limit devices respectively carried by said shaft adjacent the ends thereof to prevent inadvertent removal of the shaft from said opening.

5. The aparatus of claim 4 in which each of said limit devices constitutes a cap closing the associated end of said shaft and telescopically receiving such end therein.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said spool is rotatably related to said shaft.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said handle is secured to one of said flanges and projects outwardly therefrom in a transverse direction.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said abutment structure is a quick release ring-shaping component.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 in which said quick release abutment structure is a carabiner.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 in which said stop structure includes a resilient compressible stop engageable with said abutment structure upon pay-out of said towline, and further includes a rigid disc engageable with said compressible stop and a resilient compressible wafer circumjacent said towline along one side of said disc and engageable with a knot provided along said towline.

.11. The apparatus of claim 10 in which said compressible member is a hollow rubber sphere.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the hub and flanges of said spool are rigidly interconnected, and in which said spool is rotatably related to said shaft.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, and further comprising limit devices respectively carried by said shaft adjacent the ends thereof to prevent inadvertent removal of the shaft from said opening.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 in which said abutment structure is a quick release ring-shaping component.

.15. The apparatus of claim 14 in which said stop structure includes a resilient compressible stop engageable with said abutment structure upon pay-out of said towline, and further includes a rigid disc engageable with said compressible stop and a resilient compressible wafer circumjacent said towline along one side of said disc and engageable with a knot provided along said towline.

1-6. The apparatus of claim 15 in which said compressible member is a hollow rubber sphere.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 in which said hub comprises a pair of radially spaced concentric cylinders and a plurality of intervening webs rigidly interrelating the same, and in which each of said limit devices constitutes a cap closing the associated end of said shaft and telescopically receiving such end therein, and in which said quick release abutment structure is a carabiner.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,434,479 -1/ 1948 Allen 242-96 3,034,742 5/ 1962 Reynolds.

3,147,935 9/ 1964 Wilson.

3,215,361 11/1965 Jones.

NATHAN L. MINTZ, Primary Examiner 

